Aug News ’14 | SALT and Colterra | Boulder, Co

The Loire Valley is the heart of France, famous for its natural beauty, magnificent châteaux, amazing farms, and great wine. The region’s primarily cool climate leads to wines with refreshing acidity, bright flavors, and great balance. We will be sampling wines from the rock star winemakers in the region. Thierry Puzelat makes some fascinating Sauvignon Blanc and Cot (aka Malbec). For Evelyne de Pontbriand, Closel Savennieres is a benchmark in the appellation. If you’re a Cabernet Franc fan you don’t want to miss Domaine Filliatreau’s Samur Chateau Fouquet; and for delicious bubbles made from Chenin Blanc Francois Pinon’s Brut is stellar. With an exquistely Colterra prepared menu it’s sure to be an incredible evening. So join us as we explore one of France’s most exciting wine regions. Call 303.652.0777 for reservation.

Our final cooking class of the year will be unraveling the mystery of the classic Northern Italian rice dish, Risotto. Three different risotto dishes will be prepared by Executive Chef Michael Drazsnzak to demonstrate how easy and versatile this culinary delight can be. Enjoy a complimentary glass of wine while you enhance your culinary talents. Spaces fill up quickly, make sure to reserve your seat now! Call 303.652.0777.

A Laborless Labor Day ~ Monday, September 1st

Labor day is a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. We are also honoring the employees at Colterra by giving everyone the day off! We will reopen with regular hours on Tuesday, September 2nd.

Here at SALT we are always focused on what Mother Nature has to offer and summer is the season for salmon! Chef Brett Bertin has come up with a wonderful menu to highlight this amazing fish. All menu items will be paired with wines from The Natural Wine Company featuring some of the great terroirs from around the world. This is a dinner you won’t want to miss. Call 303.444.7258 for reservations.

Happy Birthday SALT! ~ August 30th & 31st

Can you believe it, we’re turning 5?! To honor this joyous occasion we will be presenting a few selections from SALT’s opening menus as well as our current farm to table dinner menu. And what’s a great party without music? We will have great bands preforming both nights. Come celebrate this special time with us as we couldn’t have made it this far without all of you. For reservations or more info call 303.444.7258.

Labor Free Labor Day! Monday, September 1st

We’d like to take a day to show appreciation to our hardworking SALT staff who work tirelessly weekends, nights and holidays. This Labor Day we will be closed to give them a day off to enjoy the fruits of their labor! We hope to see you on Tuesday when we resume regular hours.

Get Busy in the Kitchen: Recipes

Warm Spinach and Organic Mushroom Salad

This warm spinach salad is a great and easy recipe to whip up for your dinner guests this summer. Sauteed mushrooms and spinach when mixed with home made buttermilk dressing melts in your mouth. Sprinkle feta cheese and sunflower seeds for the perfect topper to give you that little bit of crunch. This salad is a great example of when simplicity meets perfection.

Independence Cocktail

This cocktail recipe showcases the best summer has to offer… fresh blueberries, limes, and St. Germain provide the perfect backdrop to compliment a variety of liquors: vodka, gin or even tequila. Mint adds refreshing clarity although summer botanicals like lavender would be equally delicious. This is the prefect pre-batched cocktail for your summer get together. The work is done you can pour those drinks with ease and enjoy the party!

A Season for Cocktails

Sourcing seasonal ingredients is the best way to bring pure flavor to a dish. Bringing fruits and vegetables to the plate in their prime ensures the best showing of bright and intense tastes. We are lucky to thrive in a place so rich in agricultural variety, and that variety pervades in our kitchens. Naturally behind the bar, our liquid chefs have adopted a similar mantra.

Our bartenders gather ideas and inspiration from the seasons and muddle them all into the libations that make up our cocktail menu. But you better take advantage fast because our drinks need to keep up with the ripest crop. The strawberries that make up SALT’s delicious Strawberry Lemonade are often literally hand picked by our bartenders at The Soul Patch Farm. The popular ‘Blackberry Smash’ transitioned with us into ‘Palisade Peach’ season, now becoming an equally delicious ‘Peach Smash’. Fresh Bing cherries also came into play as blackberries faded, taking center stage in ‘The Easy Rider’. And lastly, fresh tomatoes and basil make up the ‘When In Roma’, reminiscent of a fresh caprese salad. So the next time you see one of our bartenders vigorously smashing up all those fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices just remember that’s their way of seasoning your drink.

Fresh ingredients taste better. And the best way to get fresh is to run with the seasons and, if you can, run down to the strawberry patch with a basket.

Soul Patch Progress

What’s currently featured on our menus:

Pesto aioli, basil oil, lemon-orange basil pesto… basil is rapidly growing and stealing the show on many of our dishes at SALT. Watermelons are also sprouting their way up and have made their debut on our Watermelon Salad. Our grilled Japanese eggplant is tastier than ever on our longtime favorite Organic Vegetable Tasting, and ripe tomatoes are adding beautiful flavor and color to many of our salads.

A SALTine’s take on the Soul Patch:

Soul Patch: noun; a patch of beard under a man’s lower lip… Somehow, I don’t think that’s the meaning behind the name of our little farm. More than likely, aside from being a clever play on the term, it’s descriptive of the blood, sweat, and tears that make Salt and Colterra’s garden grow. It’s a reference to how one feels: renewed and rejuvenated, digging in the earth.

What motivates us to visit the Soul Patch varies. For some people (morning people!) getting up early, being outside and in the dirt, is their idea of a good time. A few individuals may feel compelled to volunteer by the mention of compensation via fresh fruits and veggies. Although, that which gets us there may be different, we have the shared purpose and support of an underlying vision in common. Working together on a farm that contributes to the food that we sell, share, serve, and eat reminded me of how lucky we are to work for a business with purpose.

Supporting local, organic, GMO-free, sustainable farming is more than just a big deal to our employer, it’s a big deal to me. Pulling weeds and picking berries alongside Bradford’s kids, witnessing his genuine adoration and respect for them, I came to realize that as parents, our inspiration is the same—it’s a family affair. We can be proud that when so many jobs are just to pay the bills, our’s serves a greater and tastier good for our work family, our global family, and our individual families.

So, when you’re looking to renew your own inspiration or feeling a little disconnected, take a trip to the farm– pull a weed (or 100,) eat a just-picked, warm-from-the-sun berry, and patch your soul.

Couldn’t be more excited for two of our SALTines who said their I do’s this past month. Natalie, a fav SALT mixologist, and Dustin, one of our longtime severs/managers, got hitched on a beautiful Colorado night and everyone felt the love. The lovely ceremony took place at Pastures of Plenty Farm in Longmont which is family owned by one of our SALTines. Congratulations Dustin and Natalie!